Mineola Mayor Kevin White said city received dozens of calls about water issues after the winter storm

(KETK)- The Mineola Mayor Kevin White spoke to KETK News on Tuesday and said the city received dozens of calls from residents because they were having water issues after the severe weather.

“On Friday, as things began to thaw we had over 68 water calls…that’s when they discovered their leaks,” he said.

White signed a disaster declaration on Monday, and he met with other city leaders on Tuesday to discuss how they may help their residents.

He also said the declaration is part of their overall emergency management plan.

 “(It) makes us eligible to reimbursement for costs exceeding normal operating costs,” said White.

He also mentioned that Wood County was added to President Biden’s disaster declaration, so people who are eligible can apply for federal aid.

Currently, Mineola is also directing people to go to their city’s website for more information about assistance.

Additionally, many people who are looking for federal help had water damage their homes.

“We’ve had some cases where people said it was basically just pouring out of their ceiling or shooting out of the ground,” he said.

Although people suffered damage from the weather in Mineola, the water supply in the city was not affected, and they did not have to issue a boil water notice.

However, many East Texans were faced with widespread power outages. White said government officials need to look for the main cause of the blackouts.

“I think that’d be the first place to do is look and see what was the root of this and go back through from there and see if we can correct,” said White.